


girls like girls like boys do (nothing new)

by taeny



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Violence, i dont regret it one bit, yeah i wrote this based off the girls like girls music video
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 14:03:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20707232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeny/pseuds/taeny
Summary: “What do we do now?” Irene asked, a glint of fear and excitement in her eyes. “Girls are not supposed to like girls. That’s what they think, anyways.”Seulgi only smiled, tightening her grip on Irene’s hands while softly caressing the older girl's hand with her thumb.“Well, girls like girls just like boys do.” Seulgi replied with a smug look on her face. “There’s nothing new about it.”





	girls like girls like boys do (nothing new)

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! i really wanted to write something based off hayley kiyoko's girls like girls music video, and seulrene was the perfect pairing for it. i poured all of my heart while writing this and i'm quite satisfied with the outcome. as always, sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language!  
p.s. i'd recommend you to watch the music video first if you haven't watched it yet!  
anyway, enjoy!!

“_Please!_” Irene whined on the other side of the line. “I beg you. I swear I’ll buy you that jacket you wanted for your birthday present.”

“Okay, okay, fine!” Seulgi gave in with a sigh, knowing that arguing with her friend was pointless. “But you really owe me one, I’ll never finish this project in time.”

“Well, that’s a problem for _future_ Seulgi.” Irene argued, way too enthusiastic for someone that just screwed her best friend’s chances of getting a good grade. “Now you have to focus on helping me out because there’s no way I can handle my boyfriend’s friends on my own.”

“You’re lucky I love you more than I care about my grades.” Seulgi said, pretending to be mad. “You should be honored, really.”

“You know that I am, right?” Irene asked, and Seulgi could almost see Irene pouting as she said that. “Now hurry up, I’ll be waiting for you. Bye!”

And just like that, Irene hung up.

Seulgi yawned and got up from her bed with an annoyed sigh, leaving the mess of books, papers and unfinished drafts for her project laying there. She should get paid for putting up with Irene, really. Her boyfriend’s parents were out of town for the weekend and he decided to throw a fucking party that night. As if that wasn't enough, he also invited some of his closest friends to come over and spend the whole day at his house until the party started, and Irene was way too uncomfortable around his friends to be left alone around them the whole day.

_They are a bunch of dumb, irresponsible assholes_, Seulgi recalls Irene telling her one day, _They only know how to smoke weed, drink beer and play video games. And they stink._

Seulgi quickly put on her denim jacket and shoved the clothes she was going to wear at the party inside her bag. She hurriedly dashed downstairs to get her bike, because she _knew_ that she’d have to hear Irene whining and complaining for hours if she took too long to rescue her.

As she rode her bike on her way to Siyoung’s house, Seulgi drowned in her thoughts as she usually did when she rode around town. She thought about how much she despised Irene’s new boyfriend, and how she had _no idea_ how a girl like her best friend could put up with such a lazy, arrogant prick. Irene knew Seulgi didn’t like him, and she didn’t blame the younger girl even a little bit, for even Irene seemed to hate him sometimes. Seulgi couldn’t even begin to fathom why and how Irene could be with someone like him, giving the fact that they were the exact opposite. Sometimes it felt like the older girl was only with him because of her parents’ pressure for her to get a boyfriend, and a rich one– which he was, by the way. They never talked much about Irene’s relationship with the guy, and also, it always seemed like Irene avoided the topic as much as she could, so Seulgi just shrugged it off and respected her friend’s wishes, especially because if they did talk about it, Seulgi would only end up complaining about him and questioning Irene as to why the girl hadn’t broken up with him yet.

As soon as Seulgi knocked, the door opened, revealing Irene’s big, excited smile. She always smiled like that when they saw each other, as if they hadn't seen each other in _months_, when in fact they can't even spend two days without seeing each other. Seulgi’s heart fluttered as it always did when facing her friend’s smile. Irene's smile was always pure and childlike, and Seulgi's heart would always beat a bit faster than usual when she smiled like that.

“Finally, you’re here!” Irene exclaimed, opening her arms and inviting her for a hug. “I thought I was going to _die_.”

“Dramatic as always.” Seulgi muttered into her best friend’s embrace.

“I heard you!” Irene gasped, pretending to be offended.

“Hey, there you are!” Siyoung, Irene’s boyfriend, exclaimed as soon as he spotted Seulgi standing at the front door. Seulgi tried not to show how uncomfortable she was as he approached her, but in the end she couldn’t help but roll her eyes as he did the _thing_ that he always did— and she always hated it— where he messes her hair up with his fist while basically choking her with his other arm. He reeked of beer and weed, and Seulgi wrinkled her nose at the unpleasant smell.

“You two have fun, me and the guys will be playing video games in the living room.” Siyoung said, hurriedly turning around and leaving as if he was late to something important, only stopping to get a bottle of beer inside the fridge on his way out.

“Well," Irene sighed. "Come in.”

The older girl grabbed Seulgi’s hand and smiled, leading her towards the kitchen. Irene opened the fridge and hummed to herself. “Want something to drink? There’s beer and... uhm, _more_ beer.”

“No, I pass.” Seulgi laughed. “I drank a whole bottle of soda while I was trying to finish that stupid project, so drinking is the last thing I need right now.”

“Oh, speaking of project, sorry for making you go out when you were supposed to finish that _thing_.” Irene said, looking genuinely apologetic. “It’s just, you know how annoying he gets when he’s drunk, and it gets even worse when he's around his friends. It’d be impossible to stay sane with them getting drunk and screaming in my ears all day.”

“It’s no problem, really.” Seulgi assured her friend. “I can probably finish it tomorrow if stay up all night.”

“You’re making me feel worse!” Irene whined, shoving her against the kitchen counter.

“I’m just messing with you.” Seulgi laughed. “Well, it’s kinda true, though. But I don’t mind since it’s for you.”

Irene looked at Seulgi fondly upon hearing her words, her eyes gleaming with something that Seulgi doesn’t remember seeing there before. Normally, Irene would roll her eyes and make a joke about how _cheesy_ that was, but the older girl seemed unusually touched by her best friend’s words, like she was needing to hear something like that.

“Want a cigarette?” Irene asked, changing the subject and avoiding eye contact. Seulgi nodded and both of them sat in the kitchen counter, the only sounds that could be heard being loud laughter coming from the living room.

“Shit, there’s only one left, we’ll have to share.” Irene said, grabbing her last cigarette and her lighter.

“No problem, we always share anyway.” Seulgi said, shrugging it off.

The younger girl watched as Irene lit up the cigarette hanging from her mouth, and for that split second, Seulgi let herself admire her friend’s lips, her fingers as she flicked the lighter, her eyes closing as she inhaled the first breath of smoke. Seulgi was quick to avert her gaze as soon as Irene opened her eyes to let out a puff of smoke, as if she was scared of being caught doing something she shouldn’t be doing. Seulgi knew Irene since they were little, but as soon as they became teenagers, Seulgi had to fight to shut out the intrusive thoughts from taking over her head. Thoughts about how attractive her friend was, about how _good_ it would feel to touch her lips with the tip of her fingers; she shut these thoughts because friends aren’t supposed to see each other that way, it was _wrong. _It felt like she was taking advantage of her friend.

Seeing Seulgi lost in thought, Irene chose not to say anything to break the silence— she was thinking too much herself. Instead, the older girl just took the cigarette between her fingers and turned it to Seulgi’s direction in a silent offer, letting the cigarette slowly make its way towards the younger girl’s mouth. Instead of grabbing the cigarette herself, Seulgi simply complied, taking a drag from the cigarette her friend was holding as she stared deep into her eyes. Irene only smiled at the gesture, and they kept silently taking turns into smoking until the cigarette was gone and the only thing left were the ashes laying on the floor.

“Let’s go up, I have to take a shower and change into the clothes I’m wearing tonight.” Irene said, getting down from the kitchen counter and grabbing Seulgi by her wrist.

“I have to take a shower too,” Seulgi said as she was being dragged upstairs. “I couldn’t take one before I left because I knew you'd complain if I took too long.”

Irene rolled her eyes at her friend, showing her tongue in a teasing way, as if she was a 10 year old talking back at her parents.

After taking her shower, Seulgi sat in the bed as she dried her hair, waiting for Irene to finish showering as well. It was nowhere near sunset yet, but they both wanted to get ready as soon as possible so they could spend the rest of the day chilling and killing time doing useless stuff. As Seulgi waited for her best friend to get out of the bathroom, she drowned in her thoughts once again. There were always intrusive thoughts in the back of her head telling her that she should be ashamed, because while Irene has had her fair amount of boyfriends throughout her life, Seulgi never even got close to being in a relationship.

_What is wrong with you?_ Seulgi always asked herself. She never bothered thinking about boyfriends or relationships— she was always finding a way to keep herself busy, because she knew that the moment she stopped to think about her romantic life she’d have an existential crisis. The thing is, there were some guys that have tried to approach her during high school and college, but she never had an interest in any of them, so she wondered what was the problem with her. Deep down she knew the answer, but she didn’t want to admit it.

“Seulgi!” Irene called loudly, startling the younger girl. “What the hell are you thinking about that you didn’t even hear me calling you?”

Seulgi just laughed it off awkwardly, grabbing her bag and taking out the clothes she’d brought for the night.

“Before you get dressed, come and help me paint my nails, please?” Irene asked softly, sensing that Seulgi was tense for some reason. “We can do just like we used to when we were little.”

Seulgi felt a pang in her chest, her heart beating faster as the memories washed over her. They used to sit in the bathroom floor and paint each other’s nails when Irene’s parents fought downstairs— it was a way Seulgi found to distract her best friend because she knew how much it hurt the older girl when her parents fought. They always chose to lock themselves in the bathroom because Irene’s room was way too close to the stairs and the sounds of the fight were louder there, whereas in the bathroom they could barely hear a thing if they closed the door.

“Yes.” Seulgi replied, relaxing a little bit. “Of course I’ll help you.”

✧✧✧

They were sitting in the bathroom floor, both wearing only towels around their bodies and their heads, a faint sound of music and laughter coming from downstairs. The whole scenario would be comic if it wasn't so _meaningful_. It felt like they went back in time, and if they focused enough, the screams coming from downstairs could almost be mistaken as Irene's parents quarrel.

Irene stared intensely as Seulgi grabbed her little finger, carefully coating her nail with the pink, glittery polish. They saw each other almost everyday, and naturally they didn’t have much to talk about, so they opted for a comfortable silence instead. Seulgi didn’t dare look up, though, pretending to be completely immersed in her task of painting her friend’s nails, avoiding eye contact as much as she could. They were _so_ close, there was barely any room between them, and for some reason Seulgi felt really self-conscious of Irene’s breath, or the way she was eyeing her, paying attention to her every movement. It made her want to get up and run away as far as possible. Maybe because it’s been such a long time since they did this, and it was such an intimate thing for both of them, but Seulgi felt claustrophobic, and not in a bad way— more like the way you feel when you see something so beautiful it takes your breath away.

After painting each other’s nails, they went back to the room and grabbed the clothes they would wear that night. Seulgi turned on her back and untied the towel that was wrapped around her body, and Irene did the same. As they both got dressed, Seulgi couldn’t help but peek at Irene through the mirror. The reflection was there, right in front of her, inviting her to look, and she just couldn’t resist watching her best friend— her skin, her back, her hands as she gently brushed her hair. There was only silence filling the air, a slight tension settling around them, and Seulgi was almost sure Irene could sense her eyes on her, even though she was not staring directly.

“Come here, let me show you this new gloss I bought.” Irene broke the silence after they were both already dressed. Since it was really hot, they were just wearing shorts and crop-tops, as well as their bikinis underneath if they decided to go to the pool later on. Irene excitedly grabbed her purse and searched for the lip gloss inside, squealing happily when she finally found it.

“You’re gonna love it!” Irene exclaimed, approaching Seulgi with a big smile, slowly applying the shiny gloss to her friend’s mouth. Seulgi just watched as her friend’s gaze shifted between her mouth and her eyes, biting her lower lip in a sign of concentration, and Seulgi prayed that Irene couldn’t hear her heart beating faster. “Your lips are _so_ dry, I’m totally gonna have to buy you a chapstick, aren’t I?”

“Oh yes.” Seulgi agreed, glad that her friend started the conversation, because she felt like she was going to explode if they stayed silent for another second. “Mine ended like, last week, and I totally forgot to buy a new one.”

Seulgi couldn’t help but notice that the lip gloss tasted like strawberries, and she observed quietly while Irene applied the gloss on her own lips in front of the mirror, wondering what it’d be like if they kissed right now, tasting each other’s lip gloss.

“I-I have to go to the bathroom.” Seulgi coughed awkwardly, startling Irene who was previously focused on applying the lip gloss correctly. “Be right back.”

Irene just hummed as Seulgi rushed to the bathroom, closing the door behind her with unnecessary strength. _What am I thinking?_ Seulgi scolded herself. _I need to get myself together, for Christ’s sake._ She opened the faucet and splashed the cold water on her face, being careful not to take the gloss off. Then she proceeded to grab a towel and dry her face carefully while she tried to clear her thoughts.

“C’mon, you’re gonna be fine.” She tried to convince her own reflection in the mirror. “You’ve always been able to be around her and shut these thoughts off just fine, so what’s up with you today?”

She breathed in and out deeply before opening the door, ready to hear Irene complain about her taking too long in the bathroom, only to find the room empty, her best friend nowhere to be seen. Seulgi went downstairs, ignoring Siyoung’s drunk remarks as she walked through the living room. She opened the glass door that led to the pool, finding the older girl sitting by the pool borders, her bare feet touching the water as she seemed deep in thought. Seulgi sat beside her best friend, also dipping her feet into the cold water.

“What were you thinking about that you didn’t even hear me coming?” Seulgi asked teasingly, imitating the question Irene asked her earlier. 

“Just, stuff.” Irene said, trying to smile naturally but failing miserably, ending up with a bitter smile instead.

“What’s up?” Seulgi asked worriedly.

“The usual.” Irene rolled her eyes, seeming upset. “I went downstairs to come here while you were in the bathroom, right? And as I got to the living room, Siyoung like, grabbed me by my arms, and it _hurt_. He kept trying to hug me forcefully, in front of all his friends. He was obviously drunk, and he kept touching me and laughing, and his fucked up friends were laughing at me as well. I felt so humiliated. I just pushed him away and came here hoping he wouldn’t follow me."

She paused for a moment, staring at the pool, and Seulgi could see that Irene was on the verge of tears. "He’s always like this," she continued. "So insensitive, always drinking and only caring about his own feelings, always making me feel ashamed in front of everyone else.”

Seulgi listened as Irene poured her heart out, her best friend’s eyes slowly tearing up as she told her what had happened. Seulgi’s heart broke into pieces seeing her friend like this.

“Irene, why are you still with him?” Seulgi asked in a serious tone. “Honestly, I don’t even know what you see in him, I’ve never even seen you happy around him.”

A silence followed after Seulgi’s statement, Irene wiping a single tear off her face.

“I guess I just don’t want to be alone.” Irene said, the last part almost coming off as a whisper. She looked so vulnerable like this, unlike the usual happy and cheery persona she always showed to everyone else.

“You’re not alone, Irene.” Seulgi assured. “You have me. Always.”

Irene closed her eyes, trying to contain the tears, as she rested her head in Seulgi’s shoulder. Seulgi grabbed her best friend’s hand and intertwined their fingers in a silent promise that she’d never leave.

“But we can’t be together.” Irene whispered after a long silence, her voice breaking at the end of the sentence. “Not like _this_.”

Seulgi’s heart raced, thumping so loud in her chest that she couldn’t hear any other sound besides the unsteady beating of her own heart. There were thousands and thousands of things she could’ve said at that moment, but the only thing that came into her mind was finally giving in to the thought that’s been haunting her since she turned thirteen. Seulgi slowly approached Irene’s face, and as if sensing the approach, Irene lifted her head from Seulgi’s shoulder, shifting her gaze between Seulgi’s lips and eyes, waiting for her next move.

When they were about to close the gap between their lips, Seulgi felt _pain._

The next thing she knew, someone was grabbing her hair forcefully and throwing her whole body against the floor with an immeasurable strength, her head unluckily hitting a few decorative rocks close to the pool. She blacked out for a second, but she tried to bring herself back to her senses, refusing to pass out and leave Irene helpless. Seulgi opened her eyes slowly, feeling dizzy, and aside from the buzzing sound ringing in her ears, she could hear a fight going on by the pool.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Siyoung screamed, grabbing Irene by her shoulders and shaking her violently as if she was a plastic doll. His face was gleaming red with anger. “_Her?_ Out of all people?”

Irene looked _scared_, and it hurt Seulgi so much to see the fear in her best friend's eyes. Seeing Irene vulnerable like that was the motivation Seulgi needed to try to clear her head and get up as fast as possible. Irene tried to argue with him, but it was pointless. As soon as she opened her mouth to try and say something, Siyoung cut her off, his screams getting louder with each word that came out of his mouth.

“Shut the fuck up!” He screamed, visibly hurting Irene’s arms with the way he grabbed her. “Keep your mouth shut, you’ve done enough already!”

Seulgi tried hard to make the dizziness go away so she wouldn’t fall down, but she got even dizzier when she felt blood running down the side of her face.

“Look at me!” He screamed even louder at Irene when he saw that she was looking down, tears running mercilessly down her face. “How dare you do this to me, you fucking _bitch_?”

At that moment, Seulgi saw him lifting his right arm, ready to slap her best friend in the face, and that was the last straw.

Seulgi gathered all the strength left inside her and got up, punching Siyoung right in the head. He was caught completely off guard, and he was also drunk, so he fell down easily. He was laying down, looking lost and confused, but Seulgi kept going. She jumped over him and kept hitting his head and face countless times. She was completely out of herself, and she could barely see anything in front of her because of the tears filling her eyes, but she didn't let it stop her. She kept punching him over and over again, and she only stopped when Irene grabbed her shoulders and took her away from him. Siyoung was already passed out by the time Seulgi got up, and both Seulgi and Irene were breathing heavily as they stood there, watching the floor be stained by his blood.

Irene approached her slowly, carefully examining Seulgi’s bruises with a visible pain in her eyes. She touched the younger’s face softly, as if trying not to hurt her, but even with the pain and dizziness Seulgi was feeling, she couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. Irene, _her Irene_, was looking at her like she was the last star shining in the sky, and nothing could ever top that.

They kissed as if the world was about to end, hunger and pain all mixed with their tears, and they both smiled into the kiss, because finally, _finally_ the moment they were both secretly waiting for all these years came true. It all felt surreal— their warm lips finally meeting each other, the taste of strawberry lip gloss, tears and blood, the way Irene licked the roof of Seulgi’s mouth, making the younger girl shiver.

At that very moment, only the two of them existed, and as they broke the kiss, desperate to breathe again, they couldn’t help but smile at each other. Both foreheads were resting against each other, there was barely any gap between their faces, and their loud breaths were the only thing they could hear.

It was both of them against the world, and Seulgi wouldn’t have it any other way.

✧✧✧

As Seulgi rode her bike on her way home, she drowned in her thoughts as she usually did when she rode around town. It was already dark outside, and the pain, the bruises, the scratches on the side of her face and on both of her fists only reminded her of Irene.

_Irene, Irene, Irene— _she kept repeating the name inside her head, the adrenaline from moments ago still rushing through Seulgi’s blood.

Siyoung was at the hospital, the party was over, and the only thing that mattered was that they parted ways with another hungry kiss.

The world could be ending, but despite everything, Seulgi was fine.

They were gonna be fine.

_“What do we do now?” Irene asked, a glint of fear and excitement in her eyes. "_ _Girls are not supposed to like girls. That’s what they say, anyways.” _

_Seulgi only smiled, tightening her grip on Irene’s hands while softly caressing the older girl's hand with her thumb. _

_“Well, girls like girls just like boys do.” Seulgi replied with a smug look on her face. “There’s nothing new about it.”_

**Author's Note:**

> don't forget to leave kudos if you enjoyed the story!!


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